2016

GEAR
GUIDE!

Handy
digital booklet
packed with
guitar gear and
information!
Fe atu r ing:
Everything you need to know to get the right sounds
for playing rock, metal, blues, acoustic and country!

Sixteen of the hottest artist model guitars

on the market!

Thirteen wild and innovative effect pedals!

GUITARS

Taylor Guitars
612ce

larger picks

It can be tough to pick an acoustic guitar, given how

saturated the market is with high-quality examples at
all price points. Here are some basic tips for narrowing down your decision: If youre a strummer, go for
a dreadnought-sized guitar or larger; if you mostly
fingerpick, youll want a smaller guitar. In general, opt
for a cutaway only if you venture high up the neck; the
extended range a cutaway gives you can come at the
expense of a guitars tone and projection. Definitely
shop for an instrument with a solid (as opposed to
laminated) soundboardthis part of the guitar contributes the most to its soundand go for a solid back and
sides, too, if you can afford it. If you just play around
the house, skip electronicsyoull get more guitar for
your money that way. On the other hand, for gigging,
an acoustic-electric will be useful, to say the least.

with softer

STRINGS

Smaller
picks with
pointy tips
work best for
single-note
work, while

tips are most

useful for
strumming.
Jim Dunlop Celluloid
Standard and
Teardrop Picks

WANT TO TRY YOUR HAND AT PLAYING BLUES

OR COUNTRY OR METAL OR SOME OTHER
GENRE OF MUSIC, BUT DONT KNOW WHAT
GEAR YOU NEED TO GET THE RIGHT SOUNDS?
GUITAR WORLD HAS YOU COVERED WITH
THIS HANDY GUIDE TO STARTER PACKS.

Proper hydration of your acoustic guitar is essential. Dryness can cause your guitars wood to shrink,
lowering the action and introducing fret buzzing, and
at worst cracking the wood. To measure the humidity
level in your house (or in the guitars case), youll need
a hygrometer, available at any good music or hardware
store. Ideally, the range should be 45 to 55 percent.
There are a bunch of different guitar humidifiers on the
market, some fitting in the soundhole and others in the
case. Whatever method you chose, always be vigilant.

PICKUPS

String choice is largely a matter of personal preference, but here are some things to remember: Lighter
strings exert less pressure on the guitars neck and
tend to be easier to play, but dont produce as much
volume as heavier strings and are susceptible to fret
buzzing. Heavier strings produce more tone and loudness, but can be harder to play. Also consider the string
composition. Bronze tends to have a clear, bright tone;
phosphor bronze is darker; and brass is the brightest.
Coated strings typically have slightly less sustain and
brightness than their uncoated counterparts but are
corrosion-resistant and longer-lasting. Try different
types and brands of sets on your new acoustic guitar
to figure out what works best for you.

PICKS

AMPLIFICATION

If youre strictly a fingerstylist, picks are probably a

moot point. But if youre a strummer or a flatpicker,
then youve got so many options in terms of shapes,
sizes and materials. Keep in mind that, in general,
smaller picks with pointy tips work best for singlenote work, while larger picks with softer tips are
most useful for strumming. Thinner picks are great
for strumming, while thicker picks add presence to
single notes. If youre a fingerpicker, consider trying a
thumb pick, for bottom-end heft, and you might like to
experiment with fingerpicks as well.

A capo is a must-have for an acoustic guitarist. With

this handy accessory, you can easily change the key of

P. 2-3
P. 4-5
P. 6-7
P. 8-9
P. 10-11

HUMIDIFICATION

Youve got a number of different solutions for amplifying

acoustic guitars. Soundboard transducers and magnetic
soundhole pickups are easy to install without modifying a
guitar and generally sound warm and natural. An undersaddle pickup fits under a bridges saddle and captures
more of the attack than a soundboard pickup. Soundhole
microphones fit inside the guitar and are adjustable
in terms of position. Certain hybrid systems combine
pickup typesfor example, an undersaddle with a microphone, for the best sound and flexibility. And some more
recent systems use modeling technology to conjure up
the sounds of real miked acoustics. All pickup types,
save for the magnetic soundhole, require a preamp to
boost the signal. While preamps are available in the form
of outboard boxes, many acoustic-electric guitars have
built-in preamps with tone controls and electronic tuners, usually mounted to the guitars upper bass bout.

CAPOS

ACOUSTIC 
METAL 
BLUES
COUNTRY
ROCK

a song or the overall mood of a piece. The basic styles

of capo include strap-on, Trigger-style and Shubb.

It used to be that acoustic guitarists had scant options

relative to their electric counterparts when it came to
amplification. But now there are tons of great options
on the market. When looking for an amp, dont be influenced by features you dont need. If youre just looking
to make your guitar louder, skip an amp with built-in
effects. On the other hand, if you get deep into effects,
those included on an acoustic amp might not be flexible enough for your music. If youre a singer-songwriter who gigs, look for a two-channel amp that includes
both quarter-inch and XLR inputs. This will allow you
to plug in your guitar and a vocal microphone at the
same time. And if you do double duty at gigs, consider
an amp that will work with both acoustic and electric
guitars. This will save you moneyand your back.

For strummers and finger-pickers

who prefer their playing au naturale,
follow this handy guide to get the
ACOUSTIC sound you want.
BY A DA M P ERLMU T T ER

guitarworld.com

GUITARS

If its crushing
METAL tones
youre after, start
with this breakdown
of essential gear.
BY META L MI KE CH L ASCIAK

When it comes to effects, metal players typically go

for overdrive, distortion, chorus, delay, wah wah and
maybe a flanger or a phaser. There are a few others that are used more often in the studio, such as a
compressor or an exciter. Since most high-gain heads
have a decent amount of gain built in, very often a little
overdrive in front of the head will give you the extra
bite for your rhythms and sustain for your leads. Only
use a true distortion pedal if your amps gain is very
weak. Otherwise, go for the overdrive effect instead
and pair it with the amps distorted channel. To get a
better tone, use your amps gain on about seven and
dial in the rest from your overdrive. Keep turning the
overdrive gain and level knobs until you get the right
sound without it getting muddy and stop there. This
approach will give you a much clearer, professional
tone versus cranking your amps gain to 10 and putting
an overdrive box in front of it all.
The second most important effect for a metal player is a delay. For the delay to sound good you must
run it through the amps effects loop and not through
your pedal board signal chain. If you use stomp boxes
in a pedal board, use short (i.e. 12 inches or shorter),
quality cables.

AMPS

Dean Guitars
Dave Mustaine
USA Signature
VMNT

Before adding its own overdrive and equalization, a

good amp should be able to retain and preserve a good
amount of your guitars initial tone. If you plan on playing in a band and are using an amp that utilizes tubes,
find an amp that has a master volume knob or similar
capability. The key to getting a great, powerful and
clear metal tone is to crank the amps master volume
almost all the way up while gradually turning up the
volume of the channel you are playing on. This allows
your amps power section to put out the most power
while naturally overdriving the power section (this is
partly where great tone hides).
Remember that too much gain in your sound will
result in a harsh, piercing, shreddy tone that is hard
to mic-up and has a difficult time cutting through the
bands overall sound. For a solid-state application, look
to pair up your amp with a guitar that has a pickup with
a nice warm low end to warm up the sound. This way
youll have a good warm tone while maintaining the precision and tightness of a solid-state head. If you plan on
using a delay for solos, find an amp that has an effects
loop or has the delay already built in. More on that in the
Effects section. Lastly, many guitarists shy away from
the mids knob on their amps. Remember that the guitar is an instrument that lives in the middle of the sound
spectrum. Some of the greatest metal tones are based
on sweet mids that really cut through, so definitely consider incorporating those into your amps setting.

PICKUPS
Truetone Jekyll & Hyde
Overdrive Distortion

EFFECTS

Guitars suitable for metal come in many shapes, use

various woods and fret heights and come in either
bolt-on or neck-through designs. Some use standard
bridges or floating tremolos. When choosing a guitar,
listen for a good, clear tone when plugged in, how well
it sustains when not plugged in and how it generally
feels. A guitar that sustains well without being plugged
in usually has a solid tone when you play it through an
amp. A guitar that hangs well balanced on the strap,
meaning the neck is not pulling as if to tip toward the
floor, usually will give you at least some indication that
the instrument is built well.

Pickups are the heart of your guitars sound. Choosing

the right pickup is super important to your soundand
installing a great pickup in an inexpensive guitar is the
cheapest way to improve its tone. Both passive and
active pickups work equally great for metal. If you use
active pickups, check the battery often; youll need to
change it when your guitar is starting to sound a bit
muddy. For passive pickups, I recommend using the
little screws found on top and bottom of the pickup
to move it as close as you can to the strings, and then
backing it off a bit. If the pickup is starting to sound
muddy, lower the bass side slightly (this would be
the screw by the sixth string). This quick and simple
adjustment will give your guitar more pronounced
sustain and make it sound better overall.

CABLES

They say that you are only as strong as your weakest link. In guitar talk, this refers to cables. Cables
are often one of the most overlooked elements
of a guitarists gear. It makes little sense to plug

(top) Randall Amplification EOD88 Head

(bottom) Engl Amplification Artist Edition E651 Head

TUNERS

a $2,000 guitar into a $2,000 amp head while using a

$5 guitar cable, so plan on investing in decent speaker
cables. Choose a cable that has a well-soldered, goldplated tip and features plenty of shielding. A great cable
will allow for clearer tone, less distortion (the bad kind)
in your sound, better lows, cutting mids and less piercing
highs. The longer the cable the more interference and
sound loss youll experience, so only use as long of a
cable as you need. Every couple of months take a microfiber cloth and wipe off the ends of the cable. This will
remove any oxidation that over time will start to fight
your cables capabilities. Wrap your cables neatly when
not in use and use Velcro strips to keep them organized.
Quality cables will last forever, so dont be afraid to
make the investment.

The key

PICKS

gradually

A heavy pick gauge is the weapon of choice for most

metal players. Too thin of a pick and your sound will
suffer from too many unwanted noises, swooshes
and other annoyances that only take away from what
are playing. A heavier pick with some tip to it will give
your playing the attack you want. A pick comprises a
huge amount of your tone, so you should experiment
to determine how your pick is really performing. Youll
know that you found a great pick when your sound is
clear, precise and you hear the picks staccato attack
when you play your leads. If your pick gets uneven
edges or is getting worn out, get a new one. Remember, a pick is a precise instrument in itself. Use your
pick to execute your ideas and dont slam the strings
with it. If you want to play louder, use your amps
volume control to turn up.

to getting
a great
metal tone?
Crank the
amps master
volume and
turn up the
channel
volume.

A band doesnt have to be machine-tight, but to sound

really good it should at least be in tune. Its a good idea
to invest in a small headstock tuner for practicing, and
for live shows consider getting a pedal tuner that you
can put in as the first unit in your pedal board. When
you step on it, it will mute your sound, making tuning in
front of an audience a breeze and instrument changes
fast and embarrassment-free. Tuning your guitar
should be done quickly and without taking away from
your performance. A tuner pedal on the floor is less
distracting to the fans and you can see the small tuning
lights when youre not right on top of it.

STRINGS

When it comes to strings, look for a brand that feels

consistent from pack to pack and strings that last for a
while on your guitar. Otherwise, you might find yourself
always tweaking your guitar, which can lead to frustration and tuning problems. Its time to change strings
when your guitar no longer stays in tune, strings break
frequently or when you can feel the fret indentations
if you run your finger under a string. Try not to use too
heavy of a gauge than you are comfortable with. It is
much, much better to use a lighter gauge that allows
you to bend in pitch rather than using too heavy of a set.
Some of the worlds greatest metal guitarists use very
light gauge strings; there is absolutely no shame in that.
Lastly, dont be afraid of a string action that is just a bit
high. Slightly higher action allows your strings to sound
clearer and gives you extra grip for bending.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While having the correct equipment is essential to a

proper tone, remember that the best way to improve
your sound is practice. Once you find pieces of gear
that work for you, practice often to maximize the most
out of what you already have while continuously developing your playing abilitiesthat is the ultimate way to
achieve a massive, crushing guitar tone.

guitarworld.com

Happy-go-lucky guitarists need not apply

here: this convenient gear guide is one
sure-fire way to get the BLUES.
BY ANDY AL E D O RT

GUITARS

As the preeminent musical style of the last 100 years,

blues music has been performed and recorded on virtually every style of acoustic and electric guitar. Before
the proliferation of electric instruments, blues guitarists
would place pickups in the sound holes of acoustic instruments in order to amplify the sound so that it could
be heard over a noisy juke joint or a band. Today, many
blues guitarists still choose to use acoustic guitars with
pickups placed in the sound hole, as companies such as
Fishman, MiSi and DiMarzio and others offer high-quality
drop in pickups for acoustic instruments. Though the
acoustic properties of the instrument become secondary when amplified in this manner, the better the instrument sounds acoustically, the better it will sound when
amplified. If you are looking to go this route, there is no
shortage of quality acoustic guitars available today, from
companies such as Collings, Martin, Gibson, Epiphone,
Taylor, Yamaha, Fender and Santa Cruz.
One of the earliest blues/jazz guitarists to gain recognition as a soloist, Lonnie Johnson, began his career
playing acoustic guitars such as a Gibson J-100, with a
removable pickup set in the sound hole; one of the most
widely used pickups of this style was the DArmond.
In later years, Johnson moved on to a Kay solidbody, a
primitive single-pickup guitar also used by Jimmy Reed.
These instruments have been reissued for those looking
to replicate the vintage sounds of early electric blues.
The widespread popularity of the blues today has
also led to the reissuing of seminal acoustic instruments, such as the Gibson L-1 favored by Robert
Johnson, or the Stella six- and 12-string guitars used
by Blind Willie McTell and Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Steel-bodied resonator guitars, such as the National
and the Dobro, were utilized by blues legends Son
House, Tampa Red, Scrapper Blackwell and Johnny
Winter, and are also popular and sought-after today.
Steel-bodied guitars create a very distinct sound that
remains closely associated with the blues.
Solidbody electric guitars are generally separated
into two categories: single-coil or humbucking, referring to the types of pickups that are used. Fender-style
guitars such as the Stratocaster and Telecaster feature
single-coil pickups, and Gibson-style guitars feature
humbucking pickups. Both are equally suited for blues
music. As a rule, single-coil pickups produce a brighter
sound with a greater frequency range, and humbucking pickups have a higher output, a darker sound and a
more narrow frequency range.
With its introduction in 1952, the Gibson Les Paul be-

Electric
blues is not
extremely high
volume music,
so smaller,
lower wattage
amplifiers are
best suited for
the job.

came the guitar of choice for blues icons Muddy Waters

and John Lee Hooker, and a little later, Freddie King. The
early Les Pauls were fitted with oversized P-90 singlecoil pickups, still popular today for their high output and
clear sound. After the Les Paul switched to humbucking
pickups, it became the guitar of choice for legendary
blues players like Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter, Mike
Bloomfield and, later, Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa.
The Les Paul morphed into the SG, favored by Duane
Allman and Derek Trucks for electric slide. And another
dual humbucker style guitar, the Flying V, became iconic
in the hands of the great blues giant Albert King.
The single-coil Fender Stratocaster became a
standard tool for blues in the hands of Buddy Guy and
Otis Rush, and it exploded in popularity with the arrival
of Jimi Hendrix. Blues great Stevie Ray Vaughan played
Stratocasters nearly exclusively. Today, companies such
as ESP, PRS, Ibanez, Schecter and Washburn, along
with Gibson and Fender, all offer high quality single-coil
pickup guitars, as well as humbucking style guitars.

And no look at blues-approved electric guitars

would be complete without mentioning the semihollow Gibson ES-335, 345 and 355 guitars favored
by B.B. King, Freddie King and Otis Rush. Along with
Gibson, Epiphone, Ibanez and DAngelico all offer great
semi-hollow electrics today.

Gibson ES-335

AMPLIFIERS

Generally speaking, electric blues is not extremely high

volume music, so smaller, lower wattage amplifiers are
best suited for the job. And most blues guitarists will
tell you that tube amps are the way to go. In the early
years, Gibson and Fender were among the few companies offering amplifiers for electric guitars, as Gibson
began production in 1936 with the EH product line,
followed in the Forties by the more popular GA series.
The early GAs had two different sized speakers, such
as a 12-inch and eight-inch speaker, and have a distinct
tone that still sounds fantastic for blues today. Fender
began making amps in 1945 and these early models,
including the Model 26 and Champion, morphed into
the better-known Fender Champ, Deluxe and Bassman.
Vox was, and is, a leading manufacturer of high quality
amplifiers that are perfectly suited for blues. The lions
share of classic blues recordings were done using
10- and 15-watt amps such as these, and many guitarists today still prefer these types of tube amps, now
produced by companies such as Victoria, Carr, Orange,
Peavey, Magnatone and Supro.

EFFECTS

Though the majority of the classic blues recordings

were done without any guitar effects used at allthe
distortion came from turning the amps up all the way
and the delay-type effects were the result of mic placement and/or slap-back recording techniquesmost
blues guitarists today use at least a few pedals in the
pursuit of a blues-approved sound.
Stevie Ray Vaughan popularized the Ibanez Tube
Screamer, an overdrive distortion pedal, starting with the
TS-808 and followed by the TS-9 and TS-10. The simple
three-knob designLevel (volume), Gain (distortion) and
Tonehas been replicated by countless other pedals. Today, among the most commonly used pedals of this type
for blues are the Love Pedal Zendrive, the Timmy, the
Bogner Burnley and Harlow, the Xotic AC and BB Boost,
the Jetter GS 124, the Suhr Shiba-Drive Reloaded, the
Analogman King of Tone, the Way Huge Pork Loin, the
Klon Centaur, the Fulltone Full-Drive 2, and the Analogman Beano Boost and Keeley Java Boost, both of which
strive to replicate the Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster Treble
Booster used on the early recordings of Eric Clapton,
Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher and others.
If you are looking to replicate vintage style delay, the
MXR Carbon Copy is my favorite, but other effective
pedals are the TC Electronic Flashback, the Seymour
Duncan Vapor Trail, the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail
and the Pigtronix Echolution.

ACCESSORIES

Fender Champ

String bending is an essential element of electric blues

guitar, so the greater majority of blues guitarists favor
lighter gauge strings for bending facility. Whether you
go with DAddario, Fender, Ernie Ball, DR, Gibson or another string company, the most commonly used gauge
for blues is .010.046. In the late Fifties, guitarists

(top) TC Electronic
Flashback Delay;
(bottom) Dunlop Joe
Perry Boneyard Slides

began experimenting with light-gauge banjo strings

so they could exploit string-bending sounds and techniques. A common approach was to use the standard
high E string, usually a .010 or a .011, for the B string,
and then use the B string in the place of the G string,
etc., while using an A string from a banjo set, usually a
.009, for the high E. Once .009 sets became available
in the Sixties, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck,
Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page and Richie Blackmore
all used them. Albert King got around the problem by
tuning his guitar down one and a half steps, making his
strings much easier to bend.
Picks are almost as varied as there are players, as
every guitarist seems to have specific preferences in
this department. Early blues players either used fingerpickssuch as Muddy Waters and Freddie Kingwhile
other picked simply with their bare fingers. For those
using a standard flatpick, it seems the Fender style
Medium or Heavy is most common, though picks of
every size, shape and thickness can be found among
blues guitarists.
The two most common materials for slide guitar are
metal and glass. Chrome steel is most likely the most
prevalent metal slide, though many players prefer copper, bronze and even brass. Glass slides run the gamut
from medicine bottle types like the Coricidan bottle
favored by Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and Warren
Haynes to the bottlenecks favored by Bonnie Raitt and
Ry Cooder. Ceramic is another common material for
slide and is equally effective.

guitarworld.com

Fender American Elite

Telecaster Thinline

GUITARS

No other guitar is more closely associated with the

sound of country music and its players than the Fender
Telecaster. Chances are, most of the chicken pickin
and string poppin licks youve heard in country songs
were done on a Tele or any other variation of this iconic
instrument. There are many reasons why the Telecaster
is often employed for country music, but here are our
top three: First, its perfectly simple and modular design
lends itself to easily modify and repair the guitar quickly
when necessary. Second, the Teles bolt-on construction of a swamp ash solid body paired with a maple neck
offers a perfect blend of sweet highs, taut lows, clarity
and sustain. Finally, the guitars 25 1/2inch scale length
combined with a single-coil pickup on a steel bridge
plate with brass saddles and strings routed through the
back of the body all contribute to the harmonic sparkle
and percussive snapor twanga Telecaster is known
for producing. And for those reasons and more, Fender
produces over 40 different Telecasters to accommodate
any flavor of country or rock, with the Fender Classic
Player Baja Telecaster and the new Fender American
Elite Telecaster Thinline as two of my favorites.
However, not all country guitarists are using Teles.
In fact, if you look at todays modern country players,
they are using everything but a Telecaster. For example,
Jason Aldeans guitarists, Jack Sizemore and Kurt Allison, have been spotted using Gibson Les Paul and EVH
Wolfgang guitars, and even Nashvilles most preeminent
session guitarist, Brent Mason, has his very own PRS
Guitars Brent Mason signature guitar, along with legendary country picker Albert Lee having his own signature
guitar with Ernie Ball Music Man. PRS Guitars have
also introduced a new model called the S2 Vela, which
combines an offset body shape and new pickups with a
range that evokes the twang of a Telecaster as well as
the punch of other solidbody guitars. Modern country
music is having a renaissance in its perceived sound, and
with that, the guitars and gear most associated with
country have certainly changed.

AMPLIFIERS

A true COUNTRY guitar sound is

unique, unmistakable and elusive to
mostand heres how to get it.
BY PAUL RIA RI O

Just like the Fender Telecaster, most classic country

guitarists have favored an all-tube Fender combo amplifier with reverb paired with it. Because Fender makes a
wide range of amplifiers, many players can be seen with
something as sweet and punchy as the 22-watt Fender
Deluxe Reverb or as loud and cutting as the esteemed
85-watt Fender Twin Reverb. Some country guitarists also love the scrappy 50-watt Fender Bassman
with four 10-inch speakers for raunchy overdrive and
touch-sensitivity when its volume is pushed to the edge.
Depending upon the players individual style and volume
needs, most country players will agree that a great tube
combo amp needs to be loud and clean. Here, a higherwatt amp with 6L6 tubes, like the Fender Twin, Fender
Hot Rod Deville and Deluxe III, PRS Archon, Carr Impala,
Victoria Golden Melody and Peavey Classic amplifiers
will provide a glassy tone for sparkling clean sounds, as
well as adding some crunchy overdrive.
But there are also many other country players who
love to turn their amps up loud for a slightly overdriven
sound but still remain defined. Country virtuoso Brad
Paisley is one of those players who relies on an amps
overdriven volume to achieve his tone, and for that he
uses a number of his very own signature Dr. Z amps,

which are based on a beloved Vox AC-30 he owns.

These particular amps employ the bell-like tone and
sweet midrange of EL-84 tubes, which become remarkably responsive when they are overdriven. There
are other great boutique amps like the Matchless
DC-30 that employ those tubes and I find they sound
phenomenal for country, but there are other amp designs that use EL-34 tubes to convincingly mimic the
sound of both EL-84 and 6L6 tubes cleverly like the
3rd Power Dual Citizen or the Fender Bassbreaker 45.
Whichever amp you decide to choose, its best to ask
yourself whether you get your tone using the amp and
your guitars volume control, or if you need pedals to
sculpt your sound, which leads me to the next topic

Compression

EFFECTS

is a vital

For most players, only three effectsa compressor, an

overdrive and an analog delay are essential for playing
country. This simple recipe of effects (and sometimes
tremolo) is generally the bread and butter for most
classic country guitarists. Again, not the rule, because
some modern country guitarists use pedal boards that
would rival the Edges massive sonic arsenal of stomp
boxes. Regardless, once you find the right combination
of pedals that sound great to your ears and with your
guitar, you can easily create a uniquely signature tone
from nearly any clean-channeled amplifier.
Compression is one of the most vital thickening
effects for country guitar because of its ability to add
more sustain to fatten up clean runs and smoothly tame
the sharp peaks of chicken pickin licks. It also adds a
beautifully lush and boosted clean tone that can sound
incredibly dynamic if you have great technique. Some
of my favorites are the MXR Dyna Comp, Boss CS-3
Compression Sustainer, Wampler Ego Compressor, Way
Huge Saffron Squeeze and Keeley 4 Knob Compressor.
Finding the right overdrive can be the linchpin to
your tone, as well as becoming your sonic signature.
Overdrive simulates the soft, clipping gain when a tube
amp is turned up into overdrive. Theres good reason
many players constantly obsess over finding the right
overdrive because having that perfect combination of
sustain and drive adds so much to the tonal connection
you feel between guitar and amp. If you already have
an overdriven amp, and add an overdrive pedal, it will
push your amp into singing distortion. Or if you use a
clean amp and need more boost to juice your signal
into breakup, an overdrive does the trick. Keep in mind,
the amount of overdrive pedals is endless, and some
brands often use the word overdrive loosely to where
the pedal can end up sounding more like a distortion. I
find the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS808, Boss BD-2 Blues
Driver, Fulltone OCD, MXR Custom Badass Modified
O.D., EHX Soul Food, Klon KTR, Wampler Brent Mason
Hot Wired, Maxon Overdrive OD808 and Truetone
Route 66 are among some of my go-to pedals.
One of the most signature guitar sounds used in
country, rockabilly and honky tonk music is the slapback echo (a single repeat short delay that emulates
a lively room sound), and here is where youll need an
analog delay pedal. Analog delays are prized for their
warmth in tone and tend to have shorter delay times
(up to 600800ms). You can also use a digital delay
but they are often criticized for being overly harsh
(digital) in tone. To create that country sound, youll
need to dial in a short delay time (under 200ms) and

MXR Dyna Comp

thickening
effect because
it adds more
sustain to
fatten up
clean runs
and smoothly
tame the
sharp peaks
of chicken
pickin licks.

set the unit to a single repeat or the delays will start

to sound wonky. Some of the best affordable analog
delays available are the MXR Carbon Copy, Way Huge
Aqua Puss, Boss DM-2W Delay, Earthquaker Devices
Disaster Transport Jr, EHX Memory Man, Seymour
Duncan Vapor Trail, Tech 21 Boost DLA, Truetone
H2O and Strymon Deco and Brigadier. There are also
many boutique effect brands that make exceptional
analog delays but there are just too many to listas
a starting point, check out companies like Wampler,
JHS, Catalinbread and Diamond.

ACCESSORIES

Having the right pickup in your guitar is crucial to

getting the country sound, especially if you use a Telecaster. I can say most Tele-style guitars come equipped
with great pickups, but if youre not happy with those,
then replacing it is a good option. You cant go wrong
with either DiMarzios Area-T pickups, Seymour Duncans Antiquity Tele 55, and Lollar Pickups Special-T
Series Tele pickup.
If your technique involves plenty of bending, double
stops and pedal steel licks, then its usually best to have
light gauge strings (typically a .009.042 or .010.046
gauge set). James Burton, who played with Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley and Merle Haggard, and who basically
wrote the book on country guitar, used to put banjo
strings on his guitar to accommodate his technique.
Now, he uses a custom hybrid light gauge (.009.038)
set that works for him.
Picks are totally a personal choice and it really
comes down to how you were taught to play. Whether
you use thumb picks, jazz or standard picks, there is no
wrong way to play in this area, but what I can tell you is
that Dunlop makes just about every pick imaginable for
you to choose from.
Finally, when it comes to accessorizing for country,
whats more important than a thick leather strap for
your guitar? Dont overlook this small detail, because
nothing says Im country more than than Levys Leathers M17VNB leather guitar strap with nubuck inlay.

Carr Amps Impala

guitarworld.com

AMPLIFIERS

Playing rock guitar means youll need clean,

crunch and lead tones, and for that, youll need
either a two- or three-channel amplifier to
cover a lot of ground. The first step is to determine whether a head and cabinet or combo
amplifier will do. Of course, when it comes to
transport and weight, a low to medium watt

Follow these simple rules when it comes

to your gear, and youll be joining the
ROCK brigade in no time.
BY PAUL RIA RI O

GUITARS

During the Sixties and Seventiesthe golden age of

rockit used to be just a Fender Stratocaster or Gibson
Les Paul would suffice, but that is no longer the case.
Now, you can use just about any shape or type of guitar to
play rock, whether its a pointy Flying V or the innovatively
shaped St. Vincent signature guitar from Music Man, there
is no such thing as a rock guitar anymore. However, rock
music requires some versatility, so youll need a guitar with
multiple options and modern refinements like hot-rodded
pickups, coil splitting, tremolos, jumbo frets, sleek neck
shapes and so much more
Because youll need to get a variety of heavy sounds,
crunchy overdrives and pristine cleans, a good choice
would be finding a solidbody guitar that is equipped with
a humbucker in the bridge and two single coil pickups in
the middle and neck, or a humbucker-equipped guitar
with coil splitting to get those same single coil tones.
Humbucker-equipped guitars tend to give you a fuller
sound, which is crucial for crunchy and distorted tones.
Humbuckers also work well for cleans as well, yielding fat
and warm notes. Single coils, on the other hand, are superb for producing glassy cleans with sparkle, and sweet
midrange bite when using overdrive. However, single
coils are also known for producing what is known as
60-cycle hum, especially if you play with a lot of gain and
volume. But with a little skill you can certainly learn to
tame the noise, or look into guitars that come equipped
with noiseless pickups. Also, having a locking tremolo
is fun to use and keeps the guitar in tune, but if youre
playing songs that require different tunings, then a guitar
with a fixed hard tail bridge or stop bar/Tune-o-matic
bridge is your best bet for being versatile.
Despite the previous suggestions, it should be noted
that there are no hard and fast rules that apply to playing
rock music or declaring what is the perfect rock guitar,
because there isnt one. Weve all seen plenty of guitarists with semi-hollow or hollowbody guitars and countless other pawnshop-prized guitars totally kill it at a gig
without missing a beat. Hell, even Kurt Cobain threw
away all convention by putting a Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion pedal in front of his Martin acoustic and wailing during MTVs Unplugged. And isnt that what rock guitar is
all about anyway? Regardless, what it really comes down
to is having a command of your instrument and tone, and
also having a great guitar you feel comfortable with.

10

GU I TA R WOR L D M AY 2016

combo amplifier with a single 12-inch speaker

is an easy, portable choice, and for most gigs,
its all the power youll need. But for some
guitarists, the wall-of-sound that a 50- to 100watt head and 4x12 speaker cabinet can provide is something they refuse to live without.
Just like electric guitars, there are so many
companies and models to list, but heres a

cross section of heads and combos that should

suit you well if youre looking for true rock
tone. The EVH 5150 III 100-watt head and 4x12
cabinet is still one of our favorite combinations, because its EQ and gain structure allows
versatility to play just about anything and be
heard. For true British crunch and hi-gain,
check out the two-channel Orange Rockerverb
50 MKIII head and 2x12 combo. The Hughes &
Kettner Tubemeister 36 head or combo are
also extremely versatile and sound great, and
the built-in Red Box allows for direct recording
or plugging into a P.A. Supro Amps have made
a big splash with a slew of new combos that
sound great turned up and are pedal-friendly.
The Peavey Classic Series of amplifiers are
another solid choice because theyve been
around for a long time offering great tone
and reliability. Of course, the Mesa/Boogie
Mark Five and Lonestar Series of heads and
combos are huge favorites among many blues,
metal and rock guitarists for their versatility
and ability to nail a variety of crunch and lead
tones. An essential pedal-friendly amplifier is
the renowned and powerful Roland JC-120,
and its almost impossible to not engage its acclaimed built-in chorus for its distinctive tonal
color. You cant speak of Holy Grail rock guitar
sounds without mentioning Marshall Amplifiers. Whether its classic or modern tones, the
Marshall DSL Series are a good place to start.
Check out their Jubilee Reissue Series, which
happen to be a favorite with guitarists like Joe
Bonamassa and John Frusciante. Of course,
Fender makes the kind of amps that are found
on just about every stage and backline, and I
personally love, own and use Fenders Hot Rod
Deluxe and Deville combos, in addition to their
Vibrolux and Vibro-King combos countless
times for their legendary tones. And finally, the
Vox AC30 has been my go-to amp for decades.
The AC30 as well as the AC15 are the benchmarks of classic British crunch and chime.
Im also a huge fan of boutique amplifiers,
because their designers use tried-and-true
circuits and innovated them for improved
performance in addition to using premium
components to produce stellar tones. You will
end up paying more for this kind of amplifier, but isnt your tone worth it? Some of my
favorites are Carr, Matchless, 3rd Power, Dr. Z,
Fuchs, Bogner, Friedman and Victoria.

EFFECTS
(clockwise from
bottom left) Dunlop
John Petrucci
Signature Cry Baby
Wah; DigiTech
Whammy 5; TC
Electronic Ditto
Stereo Looper;
EVH 5150 III 100watt head; Orange
Amplification
Rockerverb 50
MKIII head

Playing rock guitar means youll often have to

be a musical wizard by quickly summoning a
plethora of guitar sounds and for that, youre
going to need a lot of effects. Or maybe you
dont. Depending on the type of music you
play, you may need just a few, a whole bunch
or nothing at all.
Guitarists like David Gilmour and the Edge
have racks of outboard effects and tons of
stompboxes because their music requires
expansive musical landscapes, but for rock
and blues, you may only need to be as stripped

down as Stevie Ray Vaughan with just a wah pedal

and an overdrive. For different tonal colors and flavors,
reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, EQ, boost, distortion, overdrive, fuzz, phase and wah are the most common effects
used in rock music, and are also some of the most popular effects seen on many guitarists pedalboards. For all
this, check out companies like Boss, DigiTech, Dunlop,
EarthQuaker Devices, Electro-Harmonix, Fulltone,
Ibanez, JHS, MXR, Pigtronix, Strymon, TC Electronic,
Tech 21, Truetone, Wampler, Way Huge, Xotic and Z.Vex.
Youll also find that unconventional effects like the
DigiTech Whammy, Boss and EHX pitch-shifting pedals, Eventide harmonizers and Boss and TC Electronic
looper pedals are also increasingly favored as well. In
addition, many popular and boutique pedal companies
have also combined popular effects, like reverb and delay, to create unique stompboxes that alter and change
your tone to great effect, no pun intended.
There are some guitarists who favor guitar floor processors, which offer loads of effects and amp modeling.
Boss, Line 6 and Fractal Audio Systems are among the
very best when it comes to floor processors.
Having a bunch of stompboxes to use is fun, but
what is most important is how you route themin other
words, what is the best signal path. As a rule of thumb,
the most efficient way to route the following popular effects (if you use a clean or slightly overdriven amplifier)
is in this order: amplifierreverbdelaychorusflanger
boostdistortionoverdrivefuzzphasewahguitar.
Also, if you use your amplifiers gain as your tonal base,
then its also best to route your time-based (delay, reverb) and modulation (chorus, flanger) effects through
the amplifiers FX loop. Finally, gain and boost pedals
and wahs are best employed in front of your amp.

ACCESSORIES

Your guitars pickup is one of the most important starting points to your tone. Obviously, its best to choose a
guitar where you already love the sound of its pickups,
but if you find the tone to be lacking, the best way to
change that is to install new pickups. Seymour Duncan,
DiMarzio and Bare Knuckle offer a huge variety of
pickups to match the type of music you play, as well
as offering tone guides to direct you toward the right
pickup for your music.
The first step to understanding strings is to find
which gauge is right for you. Lighter-gauged strings
(.008.036 and .009.042) are easy to bend and
feel comfortable but can lack the volume or fullness
of heavier-gauged strings. A good place to start is a
.010.046 set, which is what is most commonly strung
on electric guitars.
Another area of confusion is string brands and the
alloy and materials used to construct them. I totally
understand how easy it is to get lost in the amount of
string choices available to guitarists because its overwhelming: Nickel wound or stainless steel? Coated or
uncoated? All valid questions, but with a little research
youll be able to zero in on what string type is most
appealing to your style of playing. Many guitarists introduction to strings relies on other players word of mouth
or choosing a brand their favorite star guitarist uses. Id

TC Electronic
Polytune Clip

If youre
playing songs
that require
different
tunings, then
a guitar with a
fixed hard tail
bridge, or stop
bar/Tune-omatic bridge
is your best
bet for being
versatile.

Ernie Ball
Music Man St.
Vincent Signature

suggest trying out a bunch of string brands for a period

of a few months and seeing which one feels and sounds
the best. If you need a little nudge, here are my some of
my suggestions: Ernie Ball Nickel Wound Electric Slinky
and Cobalt Electric Slinky, DAddario NYXL and XL Nickel Wound, and Dunlop Nickel Wound and Super Bright
guitar strings. Also, Cleartone, DR Strings and Elixir are
recognized for making the best coated strings, and are a
must to check out just for their distinctive feel.
And the most important thing of all is to play in tune!
With the wealth of pedal tuners and clip-on headstock
tuners available from Boss, TC Electronic and Korg, you
have no excuse.

TAKIN G
CARVIN GUITARS

JB24 01

TheCarvin JB24 is a modern take on the

Numbers guitar that Jason Becker designed
but was never fully produced. It features
multi-colored Numbers inlays and Seymour
Duncan pickups, a swamp ash body with a
tung oilfinish, 25.5-inch scale length, 24 fret
bolt on hard rock maple neck, original Floyd
Rose tremolo with locking nut and more.

DIRECT PRICE $1,599; CARVINGUITARS.COM

NAMES

06

GUITAR WORLD ROUNDS UP

SIXTEEN OF THE HOTTEST ARTIST ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN
MODEL GUITARS ON THE MARKET. ST. VINCENT SIGNATURE 06
Designed in close collaboration with Annie
Clark aka St. Vincent (see page 26 for full
story), this guitar features an African mahogany body, full rosewood neck with St. Vincent inlays, three custom mini-humbucking pickups and five-way switch with custom
wiring, Schaller locking tuners, 22 frets, and
10-inch radius with 25 1/2-inch scale length.

07

05

MSRP $1,899; MUSIC-MAN.COM

CORT

ESP GUITARS

MBC-1 MATTHEW BELLAMY

SIGNATURE GUITAR 02
Designed by Muse guitarist Matthew Bellamy, Manson Guitar Works and Cort,
the new matte black finished MBC-1 features a sleek maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, solid basswood body, Mansondesigned bridge humbucker and single-coil
neck pickup. The kill button allows a wide
range of guitar effects to be created by the
player without resorting to outboard effects.

GARY HOLT GH-600 07

The ESP LTD Guitars Signature Gary Holt
GH-600 is designed in collaboration with
the Slayer/Exodus guitarist and ESP Guitars.
The GH-600 featuresa mahogany body, setthru-neck construction, three-piece mahogany neck, 24 3/4-inch scale, ebony fingerboard with 22 extra jumbo frets, Grover Tuners, Floyd Rose tremolo, EMG 89R RED
(neck) and EMG 81 RED (bridge) pickups.

08

01

STREET PRICE $999; ESPGUITARS.COM

STREET PRICE $599.99; CORTGUITARS.COM/MBC1

DEAN

02

RUSTY COOLEY RC6

XENOCIDE 03
The first six-string electric offering in the
Rusty Cooley series of guitars, the Xenocide
features a super-thin neck, adding an ease of
playability, and an extra-deep body cutaway
for access to the high frets. Other features
include a recessed, Floyd Rose Pro tremolo system and direct mount EMG 81 and 85
pickups and Grover tuners.

STREET PRICE $899; DEANGUITARS.COM

03

04

FENDER

EPIPHONE

EVH
LTD ED JOE
STRIPE SERIES CIRCLES 05
BONAMASSA LES PAUL
STANDARD WITH BIGSBY 04

JIMI HENDRIX
STRATOCASTER 08

The third Epiphone Signature Model from

modern blues legend and Grammy nominee, Joe Bonamassa, this guitar features a
one-of-a-kind Inverness green finish, Gibson
Burstbucker humbucker pickups, and a classic Bigsby B70 vibrato along with a Les Paulclassic Lifton style hard case.

With an otherworldly black-and-white

crop circles graphic gloss finish, the EVH
Circles model is one of the most distinctively eye-catching guitars in Edward Van
Halens Stripe Series. The guitar features a
sleek Strat-like basswood body, rock-solid
quartersawn maple neck with oiled finish, compound-radius maple fingerboard,
EVH direct-mount pickup, EVH Floyd Rose
bridge and locking nut and EVH tuners.

The Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster offers

signature touches based on the legendary
guitarists distinctive flipped-over guitars. The guitar features a large Seventies
style reverse headstock, American Vintage
65 single-coil pickups including a reverseslant bridge pickup, 9 1/2-inch radius and
C-shaped maple neck with medium jumbo
frets, and is available in classic Olympic
White or Black.

STREET PRICE $799; EPIPHONE.COM

MSRP $1,199.99; EVHGEAR.COM

MSRP $799.99; FENDER.COM

guitarworld.com 15

20 DO
FR WN
EE LO
LE AD
SS
ON
S

GRETSCH GUITARS

PATRICK STUMP SIGNATURE

STUMP-O-MATIC 09
Built to the exacting specs of the Fall Out Boy
singer/guitarist Patrick Stump, this guitar is
a tonally versatile solidbody model featuring
a set neck and string-through-body design,
three MegaTron humbucking pickups, TV
Jones-designed circuitry with two-position rotary switch for activating the middle
pickup, three-position pickup selector toggle
switch and two position pickup kill switch.

09

MSRP $999; GRETSCHGUITARS.COM

Learn to Play Guitar

at Home OR On the Go!

10

11

12
IBANEZ

JACKSON GUITARS

PWM100 PAUL WAGGONER MISHA MANSOOR

GUITARS
SIGNATURE MODEL 10
JUGGERNAUT HT7 GUITAR 11 KIESEL
LPM7 12

This Ibanez was designed in collaboration

with the Between the Buried and Me lead
guitarist Paul Waggoner, and is ideal for
extreme down tuning and heavy, aggressive
playing. The guitar features an ash body, fivepiece maple/bubinga Wizard High Performance neck, rosewood fretboard with jumbo
frets and the Prestige fret edge treatment to
ensure a smooth, professional feel.

Misha Mansoor of Peripherys Juggernaut

HT7 guitar is crafted with a distinctive body
shape inspired by the Jackson Dinky. The
guitar features a AAA quilt maple top on
trans-finish models, bolt-on quartersawn
maple neck, ebony fingerboard, 24 stainless
steel jumbo frets, Hipshot locking tuners
and hard-tail bridge, Bare Knuckle Juggernaut humbucking pickups and more.

The signature guitar of Born of Osiris guitarist Lee McKinney, the LPM7 features a
hard rock maple neck, ebony fingerboard,
mahogany body, 25.5-inch scale length neck
through construction, Kiesel Lithium humbuckers, a Hipshot bridge with acoustic saddles (with an optional Floyd Rose), and 19:1
ratio locking tuners.

LIST PRICE $3,599.99; IBANEZ.CO.JP

MSRP $4,353.73; JACKSONGUITARS.COM

DIRECT PRICE $1,229; KIESELGUITARS.COM

CHECK US OUT AT:

www.guitarworldlessons.com

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guitarworld.com 17

13

14
PRS GUITARS

SE ALEX LIFESON
THINLINE ACOUSTIC 13

REVEREND GUITARS

RICK VITO SIGNATURE RT 14

A collaboration between PRS Guitars and

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, this acoustic features some of the same unique appointments
from the Private Stock Alex Lifeson acoustic, with a thinner body depth and Birds in
Flight inlays. Other features include PRSs
hybrid X/classical bracing pattern, and an
undersaddle pickup.

Reverend Guitars art decoinspired Rick

Vito SignatureRT features an ebony fretboard, stair-step tuner buttons, pickup
pan knob. The guitar has Reverends own
Revtron pickups and a Bigsby, for all of the
punchy, twangy adventures that you can
dream up. The guitar also comes with Reverends Standard Two-Tone Teardrop case.

STREET PRICE $799; PRSGUITARS.COM

STREET PRICE $1,449; REVERENDGUITARS.COM

15

16
SCHECTER GUITARS

SYNYSTER GATES SYN

CUSTOM-S 15

WASHBURN

N4 VINTAGE 16

Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates

Syn Custom-S features a mahogany body,
three-piece mahogany set-neck with carbon fiber reinforcement rods, ebony fingerboard with SYN and Deathbat inlays, Seymour Duncan Invader and Sustainiac Pickup
set, Sustainiac Infinite Sustain System, Floyd
Rose 1500 Series locking tremolo, and more.

The Washburn N4 Vintage is a faithful recreation of Nuno Bettencourts guitar of 25

years. The N4 Vintage features a Stephens
Extended Cutaway, Duncan 59 neck
pickup, Lawrence L-500 bridge pickup, a
Floyd Rose 1000 Series Original bridge and
Grover 18:1 tuners.

STREET PRICE $1,259; SCHECTERGUITARS.COM

STREET PRICE $1,999; WASHBURN.COM

GUITAR WORLD
PRESENTS
13 WILD AND
INNOVATIVE
EFFECT PEDALS

TECH 21

Richie Kotzen RK5 Signature Fly Rig

The Richie Kotzen Signature RK5 Fly Rig is
a collaboration with virtuoso guitarist Richie
Kotzen and Tech 21. The RK5 features Richies
signature OMG overdrive plus reverb, delay
with tap tempo, and an independent boost
function. It also features an all-analog SansAmp section to go direct to a PA or mixer.

STREET PRICE $269 / TECH21NYC.COM

ANALOG MAN

Block Logo Envelope Filter

The Analog Man Block Logo Envelope Filter

Pedal uses a NOS MXR envelope filter circuit
board, built into a modern, compact boutique
pedal. Analog Manhas added some mods
including a new up/down toggle for Mutrontype reverse wah sounds, and Emphasis
knob for more or less extreme tones.

STREET PRICE $219 / ANALOGMAN.COM

STRYMON

Deco Tape Saturation & Doubletracker

TC-HELICON

Ditto Mic Looper

DIGITECH

TRIO Band Creator

BOSS

Waza Craft DM-2W Delay

The Strymon Deco Tape Saturation &

Doubletracker is two effects in one.
The Decos Tape Saturation smooths out
your sound with tape compression and
saturation, while fattening it with subtle
tape-driven transparent overdrive. The
Doubletracker provides the power to shift
your sound in many ways, easily allowing you to achieve syrupy slapback tape
echoes, psychedelic tape flanging, and
gorgeous tape chorusing sounds.

The TC-Helicon Ditto Mic Looper is the perfect looping pedal for singers, beatboxers
and acoustic performers who want to loop
quickly and easily. With just a Loop button,
Stop/Erase button and an oversized loop
level control, performers can build any idea
into a full-sounding performance instantly,
while unlimited overdubs and undo/redo features helps to bring the vibe up and down.
Plus, the last loop is automatically stored even
when the unit is turned off.

The DigiTech TRIO Band Creator pedal

provides the ability to create a band that
plays along with the user. TRIO listens to
what is played and automatically generates bass and drum parts that match chord
progressions and rhythmic feel. Users simply need to plug a guitar into TRIO, press
the footswitch to teach TRIO the chords
and rhythm, and then press the footswitch
again to start playing with a customized
personal band.

The Boss Waza Craft DM-2W delay uses allanalog circuitry and an authentic bucket brigade delay line. The DM-2Ws Standard mode
captures the lush sound and 20-300ms delay
range of the original DM-2. Custom mode
instantly changes the sound to a cleaner analog tone with over twice the delay time. The
DM-2W also includes a jack for controlling
delay time with an optional expression pedal.
Two output jacks allow for separate output
of delay and direct sounds if desired.

STREET PRICE $299 / STRYMON.NET

STREET PRICE $99.99 / TC-HELICON.COM

STREET PRICE $179.95 / DIGITECH.COM

STREET PRICE $179 / BOSSUS.COM

guitarworld.com

21

INTRODUCING

THE BRAND NEW GUITARWORLD.COM

EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS

PIGTRONIX

Echolution 2 Ultra PRO

The Pigtronix Echolution 2Ultra PRO is a

massively flexible multi-tap stereo modulationdelay that features an entire array
of customizable filter, LFO and pitch shifting options along with expression pedal
and envelope control of every knob as well
as complete MIDI control of every function. The USB port on the Echolution 2 provides connectivity to MAC or PC computers, allowing you to run the free Echolution 2 application for preset management
and real-time tweaking of advanced sound
design parameters.

T-REX

Replicator

EXPERT LESSONS

The T-Rex Replicator is the only 100-percent analog magnetic tape delay featuring tap tempo control.The unit features
two playback heads, as well as adjustable
master level, chorus depth, and saturation
controls.Other features include all standard delay controls and a kill-dry switch.
The pedal is hand made in Denmark.

STREET PRICE $899 / T-REX-EFFECTS.COM

GEAR NEWS

STREET PRICE $449 / PIGTRONIX.COM

IBANEZ

WD7 Weeping Demon Wah

VIRAL VIDEOS

The Ibanez WD7 Weeping Demon Wah

pedal shrieks, cries, and wails in the most
extreme way. The Weeping Demon features
spring and normal footboard action, selectable wah range, and fine-tuning controls.

10

JHS PEDALS

STREET PRICE $110 / IBANEZ.CO.JP

10

Colour Box

The JHS Pedals Colour Box brings the

color and character of a real vintage console to your feet or desktop. The pedal features two gain stages in series that produce beautiful clean tones but that can also
destroy any signal into a beautiful fuzzy
mess, full of rich harmonics and body with
over 39db of gain on tap. The Colour Box
uses a high quality Lundahl transformer
that adds weight, heft, and a 3D quality just
like preamps that cost much more.
9

STREET PRICE $399 / JHSPEDALS.COM

guitarworld.com

23

11

MXR

11

Sub Machine Fuzz

The MXR Sub Machine Fuzz combines shaggy vintage fuzz with a growling
sub octave circuit. The pedal features separate fuzz and sub octave output
controls, an octave switch for electrifying octave up fuzz, and a Series switch
that lets you run the sub octave signal straight into the fuzz for subterranean
saturation or alongside the fuzz for a split channel effect.

STREET PRICE $149.99 / JIMDUNLOP.COM

ELECTRO-HARMONIX

12

Pitch Fork

The Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork Polyphonic Pitch Shifter transposes an

instruments pitch over a +/- three octave range and features three modes
which allow the pitch to be transposed up, down or both, simultaneously.

STREET PRICE $158.20 / EHX.COM

12

EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
13

Interstellar Orbiter

The Earthquaker DevicesInterstellar Orbiter is a dual resonant filter controlled by a single LFO that sweeps each filter in opposite directions. Each filter is voiced differently and has controls for LFO intensity, resonance and
mix. It can do everything from wah emulation to complex vocal formant filtering and even outlandish rotary speaker effects. The pedal is all analog, true
bypass.

STREET PRICE $225 / EARTHQUAKERDEVICES.COM

13